Elton John celebrates seven years of Billy Elliot

Sir Elton John has attended a party to celebrate 3,000 shows over seven years of his musical version of Billy Elliot in the West End.

The singer spent a day in hospital last week where he was treated for a respiratory infection but he said he was delighted to be able to join director Stephen Daldry for a performance of the musical at the Victoria Palace theatre last night.

"I shouldn't really be here because I'm recovering from a bout of pneumonia," the 65-year-old told reporters.

"But the doctor said I could come and I didn't want to miss this for anything."

The West End musical started in 2005, and was based Daldry's 2000 film Billy Elliot, but with music and lyrics by Elton John. It went on to win three Olivier awards in 2006 and was a big hit in America too. A Broadway production, which was seen by an estimated 1.65 million people, closed earlier this year.

The singer and songwriter is currently planning a musical version of George Orwell's 1945 political novel Animal Farm, which he is working on with Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall.